DEARBORN, Mich. – A Dearborn man who attended ISIS religious and military training camps in Syria was convicted after a nine-day trial in a Michigan courtroom.
Officials said Ibraheem Izzy Musaibli, 32, of Dearborn, was born in Detroit and is a natural-born United States citizen.
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Training with ISIS
Musaibli started to look into ISIS in 2015 while living in Michigan, according to authorities. He traveled to Yemen in April 2015 to research the terrorist organization.
Officials said Musaibli downloaded ISIS propaganda and a book on how to get into Syria. He traveled to Syria in the fall of 2015 and attended an ISIS-run religious training camp, federal officials said.
Musaibli then underwent ISIS military training, learning to shoot, carry, and handle an AK-47 assault rifle, authorities said.
“This defendant willingly traveled to Syria, joined ISIS, and attended a terrorist training camp,” said James Tarasca, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office. “Today’s verdict demonstrates to anyone who would seek to contribute to ISIS’s terrorist activities that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force will be unwavering in its mission to protect the American people by identifying, disrupting, and bringing them to justice.”
When Musaibli graduated from the military training camp, he swore allegiance to ISIS and its leader. He remained with the organization for more than two and a half years before being arrested by Syrian Democratic Forces in 2018 and turned over to the FBI, according to officials.
Conviction
Musaibli was flown back to the U.S. and charged with providing, attempting, and conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, as well as attending an ISIS training camp.
He was convicted Monday (Jan. 30) after a nine-day trial before U.S. District Judge David Lawson in Detroit. Jury members deliberated for less than four hours before returning guilty verdicts.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 11. Musaibli faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.
“Ibraheem Musaibli traveled halfway around the world and joined a vicious, brutal, and violent terrorist organization known for -- and proud of -- its barbaric acts of terror,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said. “Today’s verdicts highlight the dedication of this office, along with our law enforcement partners, in pursuing anyone who poses a danger to the United States -- no matter where they are located.”
